Two kids from Flin Flon, Manitoba. Making it happen in Edmonton. I really can’t say enough awesome things about these two. Travelers, cat lovers, with stellar taste in music, and just way too much fun to hang out with. It was truly a privilege to get to spend their wedding day with them.

Angie’s mom watches as the veil is put on. How can you not get a lil’ misty eyed?

Portraits before the ceremony. Totally an awesome way to go!

This is what we call “manly hand holding”. Grrrrrrr.

Aren’t they just ridiculously good looking? I mean, seriously. They’re like a triple threat.

Nailed it!

Gotta throw one in from the gorgeous ceremony!!

And the super cute first dance.

Haha! Rob forgot to tell us all that this was meant to be a silly face photo.

And finally, a couple scans of polaroids I took. Still trying to find a way to get the scan to reflect how incredible these look in person. But I’m getting close :)

Wow, I love the bridesmaid dresses. And the bride...Gorgeous. Great job, love them. Though I would love to see some reception shots...I see a shot of green floral decor in the background of one of your shots :)

Great photos! I love the shot on the ledge and the mirror image shot...and the one through the pine tree... and the one of Angie's hand over Jordan's shoulder - OK - they're all great! What a beautiful day it was and a beautiful couple! Great work.

Fresh, Innovative, Amazing Photography! The group picture in the trees, double take of the guys in the hotel room, Aunt Katie admiring her gorgeous daughter, the cat looking at Angie's dress (could that be Grandma's kitty?) All Incredible Shots! What a Beautiful Couple!

Angie, I love the one of your mom watching you get ready. She looks SO happy. And I especially like the group shot in front of the trees. I am inspired by the purple shoes too. I was going to wear white, but I might change that.

Whew! What a day Sunday was! We were honored to host some very talented and wonderful photographers at our home, and had a blast doing it! I think our attendees are still probably recovering from the brain overload :)

One of our favourite things to do is challenge ourselves. Every time we put ourselves in an unfamiliar situation, we’re amazed at what comes out of it. So when we were choosing a spot to shoot for the Chill Session, we decided to go totally out there. We found a random elementary school and worked it out. I think we’ll be shooting at elementary schools more often, they totally rock!!

Here are some of our images, with our beautiful and wonderful couple, Michelle &BJ. And yes, they look really familiar, because we just shot their wedding the weekend before! They just couldn’t get enough of us, I guess :)

BJ looks a little intimidated having 10 women with huge cameras staring him down!! But they rocked it so hard. I’m not even mad, I’m just impressed. ;)

Children at play. Completely appropriate :)

Ok, I can’t get over how insanely stunning Michelle is here. HOLYSMOKES. And if any Chill Sesh peeps have a “behind the scenes” photo of how we managed this shot, I’ll totally post it up :)

And Sandra for this stellar montage. I look like such a slacker reclining on the grass. It’s epic.

*sigh* Cutie pies

That’s their ride. Honest. ;)

G-darn I love this one. A+ to Rob.

Yeah. They’re fierce. What.

I also wanted to share this super duper sweet message from Rhiannon, one of our participants:

Thank you, thank you, thank you sooooo much! It’s so wonderful of you both to be so open about your art - it really means a lot to me that you are willing to share it. You gave me so much information and inspiration! Like you used to be, I am really shy, which is one of the biggest reluctance’s I’ve had to throwing myself into a career with this. You’ve given me the confidence to know that it can be overcome, and I’m really excited to put all of my new tricks to work at my next session. Oh, and the Snickerdoodles rocked!

In case you’re totally confused, Snickerdoodles are the crazy awesome cookies I made for the Chill Sesh. Don’t you wish you came now? ;)

If you’re interested in the October Chill Session hit me up (love [at] robandlauren [dot] ca) and I’ll get you signed up. It’s going to be stellar!!

When S first emailed me and asked if we’d do a boudoir session, my knee-jerk reaction was “Nope, we don’t do boudoir!”. But rather than responding right away, I stopped and thought about it for a bit. Was there a way to do boudoir, but in a way that would really reflect our style? We’ve always been the type to take on a challenge, especially if we’ve never done it before. So we agreed, and gave it a go! I’m truly bowled over by the results, and so much credit goes straight to S for rockin’ it so hard, and being so confident and beautiful.

And as I created the majority of the stills, Rob produced yet another stunning Moving Portrait.

You guys are going to be sick of me commenting, but I absoultely had to on this moving portrait.
It was like looking through the eyes of someone that really loves her. Her husband is going to adore this. From the way the light touched her skin, to her laughter, to the little nuances of how she's place her feet and move... wow. That was incredibly touching. You've truly captured the essence and beauty of S, and a moment in time.

You guys rocked my world! And my new husband's ;) I cannot thank you enough for making me feel so comfortable, it's because of you I felt so at ease doing this. And it was so fun!
G LOVES the photos and the moving portrait, thank you so much for helping me give him a wedding gift he'll never forget. You guys are amazing
S

A year and a half ago, while we were traveling India, Michelle &BJ booked us for their wedding. We had never met them, and they hadn’t even been to our place until last week. But that doesn’t change the fact that they are kind of our couple soulmates. They are an azn/gwai lo duo who love movies, video games, and just generally being ridiculously cool. BJ introduced us to some of our fav TV shows of all time (Sarah Conner Chronicles anyone? Anyone?). And Michelle and I pretty much have the exact same sense of humor. We were so excited to get to be there on their big day, and can’t wait for more wine and appie dates in the future!

Seat yourselves, because these images might just knock you over. Go.

Michelle acting all cute for the camera. Busted!

BJ helping his dad get ready.

Immediately following the first kiss. Adorable.

These photos are officially legendary. I have the paperwork to prove it right here in my hand.

Oh my goodness you two. I've got chills. (as usual - but more so because it's Michelle and BJ this time!)
The shot after the kiss? The one of Mrs. Au and Michelle before walking down the aisle?! I'm all misty!
The guitar hero pics are seriously epic.
Wow. Can't wait to see the rest!

What can I say but WOW! Rob and Lauren you out did yourselves. This pictures are awesome. I love how you let BJ and Michelle be their fun selves. As mother of the groom I'm very impressed. The whole day was exciting and you can see how you captured it in the kids. Thank you for awesome creativity. The guitar one is so funny and so them I love it.

Fabulous and Unique, just like the bride and groom. R & L you were wonderful to watch at work, you blended in when needed and were part of the party when appropriate. Professional to the core. Great Job.

Congrats you two!!! Im so glad I could be there on your special day. The pictures are just amazing!!!!! You all looked so great but especially you Michelle .. just beautiful!! =) all the best to you guys xoxo

Well, our August Chill Session booked up crazy fast, and we have a fantastic group of photographers all lined up to learn a ton! But we’ve still been getting lots of interest, so we have scheduled another one for this year!

I’m gonna say right now that these two Chill Sessions are going to be unreal. Over the past couple of months Rob and I have spent a LOT of time talking and thinking about photography. We feel like we’ve really discovered some fantastic ideas, and can’t wait to share them! We truly feel that this information will help out a ton of photographers, and not just in a “Put your settings to this and you’ll be good” sort of way. I’m talking about the philosophy of photography, and the psychology of interacting with clients. Deep stuff :) With some Rob and Lauren silliness added in. It’s going to be mind-blasting!! :)

Date: Sunday, October 4, 2009

Where: Our home/studio on the south side of Edmonton

What: A day of learning and shooting with Rob & Lauren. We’ll be focusing on shooting style, interaction, and post-processing.

Included: Snackies, bevvies, and din din

Cost: $500 + GST

We will be limiting the session to 10 people, and I have a feeling it will book up rather quickly, so get in touch with me right away (lauren [at] robandlauren [dot] ca) if you’re interested. I’ll send you an email with all the details of what we’ll be talking about, and how to book your spot!

I so wish I lived closer. Would love to attend your chill sessions... The travellers in you should set a date, come to Newfoundland, and arrange a chill session here.. I know that it would be great!!!! Love checking your blogs regularily to see what new and exciting things you two are up to..great work!!!!

Well, here we are. A “teaser” post of Barbara and Anthony! And it only took me all day to prepare :)

I’m gonna keep it short and sweet on the commentary, since I know I’ll get carried away if I start!

Barbara and her posse.

It was a very highly emotional day.

I can’t even look at this one without tearing up. This was Anthony’s reaction to seeing his bride for the first time. I don’t know if anyone had dry eyes after seeing him break down in tears. As he said in his speech “Real men cry”. Amen!

They only had eyes for each other during that walk.

Anthony and his father.

This here is where I lost my composure. It was a hand ceremony, that was beautifully performed by their marriage commissioner, Ian McClelland.

Their ceremony was held in the outdoor gazebo at the Chateau Louis Hotel. We were treated to the most perfect light ever. The weather smiled on Barbara and Anthony, that’s for sure. It rained for about an hour, precisely when we needed it to. And it stopped, precisely when we needed it to.

Hahahahah! Rob was really getting into his hug with Anthony :) (He wants me to let everyone know that he was just goofing off for the camera….right….. ;)

These girls are some of my closest friends in the whole wide world. It was such an honor to get to photograph them. Aren’t they just ridiculously beautiful?

The guys weren’t too shabby either :)

Well, I’m just gonna leave it there, because I’m getting a bit misty eyed just thinking about what a wonderful day it was. Banthony (that’s the name I made up for them during the photo session, as I got tired of constantly saying Barbara & Anthony), you know we love you tons. Hope Jamaica is treating you well!

What a beautiful wedding. I don't think it will ever get easier trying not to cry during a ceremony when everyone else is crying, espcially the groom! Great photos, love the color the suits they look fabulous!

Loved the shot of the groom crying and the b&w car shot with the bride.
You guys continue to inspire! There are so many wedding photographers, so many common things everyone covers.. but what you guys have, is something very special!! Thanks and keep it up! :)

Just can’t wait to share this one. From earlier today, at the wedding of one of my closest friends, Barbara. Her new husband, Anthony, is the sweetest guy, and I was so incredibly happy to share in their big day! And I’m so honored to have been able to be their photographer. I really, really like this frame :)

Goodness, I’ve been slacking with the blog this past week! Life has gotten so crazy busy for us, you wouldn’t even believe! But we’re loving photography more than ever, and having a blast with work, so all is good :)

I’m super stoked to be sharing these images with you guys! We met up with Liesje and Mike a while back and shared a wonderful evening just having fun. These two just celebrated their 5 year anniversary (CONGRATSDUDES!) and what a great time to have a session!

I’m very happy to say that they absolutely got this one printed. Their puppies are so incredibly sweet! When we dropped off their prints I got so many puppy kisses, I was on a bit of a high for the next hour :) I think this image is best viewed while humming the theme song from Chariots of Fire….

These kids are huge into bicycles, and have so many cool ones! I was in love with Mike’s gorgeous blue bike he picked up at a garage sale for like $7.

Man, what fun times. I’m totally missing these guys now!

Anywho, in other news, Rob has just released a pretty cool open source project for photographers. It’s called Open Source Keys, and is a system for using Lightroom with an X-Keys keyboard. I won’t get too in depth about it here, but if you’re a photog you HAVE to check it out. http://www.opensourcekeys.com

Another great set of my friends. L & M are the two cutest people, aren't they? I love the way you guys have this amazing ability to capture people's personalities. Bicycles! And the puppies!
These pics make me insanely excited about our shots tonight!

Wow, what a day Saturday was! We started off with scorching hot weather, which then turned into one of the craziest storms Edmonton has seen in a long time! But nothing could stop these two from having a wonderful day, and being ridiculously good looking. Not even 110 km/h winds.

Um, nuts right? It was not planned at all to get that room, but was just one of those amazing twists of fate. And to quote Kristin, who bears an intensely uncanny resemblance to the star, “Audrey Hepburn is like my religion”.

Immediately after the first kiss. Such an intensely intensely sweet moment. I could look at this image for hours.

Kristin’s little sister. Camera shy at first, but she quickly caught the bug :) How much do you adore those freckles?

What a truly perfect day, insane storm and all. And yes, that cake tasted just as good as it looked :)

I strongly feel that if every single evening was exactly like the one we spent with these two snuggle-bugs, I’d be the happiest person in the world. Not only did Angie & Jordan spend their Canada Day with us, it was also their last night in Canada! The next day they were heading off for a whirlwind trip to Vietnam & Cambodia! I think this may be my favorite engagement session we’ve ever done. We don’t normally do too much shooting in natural areas, but these two convinced us, and we’re so glad they did. Simple, gorgeous, beautiful light, stunning couple, and lots of laughs. I really hope you enjoy these, they make us smile :)

In case you’re wondering, the holes behind them are swallow’s nests. Wicked.

@Jenn: Oh man, we totally agree! It was just a matter of finding the right area for us. We love variety, and it can be hard to find that in natural areas. But shooting this session made us so insanely stoked for your wedding! YAY!!!!